The Finer Things: The Hottest Luxuries in Apartment Living

From elite Upper East Side penthouses to sprawling SoHo lofts, high-end Manhattan apartments offer some of the priciest city living in the country as well as the most luxurious. Posh New Yorkers have always known how to trick out their homes to provide the greatest comfort, ease and good looks, but the next wave of high-tech has combined with opulent design features to create accommodations so seductive their occupants might never want to exit their front door again.

The senior managing director of Citi Habitat's top-producing office for a decade, Serifovic later spent four years at Douglas Elliman Real Estate as executive sales manager before more recently snagging the position of director of international sales and corporate relocation for TOWN Residential.

Serifovic knows from ritzy interiors, and she's happy to dish on what goodies prospective tenants should look for in their new home - or what those of us slightly less well-heeled might want to put on our wish list.

The Heart of Your Home

According to current popular design wisdom, kitchens are now the hub and heart of our homes. Gone is the day when they were small, overheated rooms where mom slaved away while banishing the rest of the family from the space. "I believe most people nowadays want a contemporary look," says Serifovic, "and they also want an open layout, meaning an open kitchen. Most people prefer to have an open kitchen with an island so that they can entertain while preparing a meal."

Sub-Zero refrigerators remain a must for most clients in Serifovic's experience because they can be paneled to look exactly like the rest of the cabinetry, keeping a hulking appliance happily out of view. The newest bit of kitchen grandeur comes courtesy of the once-humble coffee maker. Brands like Sub-Zero subsidiary Wolf, Miele, Bosch and others are now selling souped-up versions that can brew any cup of java your heart desires without plumbing so that the gadget can be built-in anywhere.

"Another thing I've noticed is that when it comes to countertops," Serifovic adds, "people want a durable surface, but also a beautiful look. So the three-inch slab countertops have been pretty exciting. There's also something called a waterfall, which is a countertop that extends down the sides of a cabinet or island. That has been one of the styles that attracts people. Also, in the really beautiful, expensive kitchens in the higher-end apartments, the countertops and the backsplash are the same material."

Smart Enough For Your Own Good

According to Serifovic, most luxury apartments now being built in New York are wired for sound (and everything else). "Most people who are developing projects have added technology, to make sure the apartments are a smart home," she explains. "Meaning they can use a system for sound, lighting control, and to turn on the air conditioning 30 minutes before they get home. And also with that kind of system you can get shades that open and close electronically. Having a smart home is the newest trend that makes an apartment more special."

Jill Gleeson is a travel and adventure journalist based in the Appalachians of Central Pennsylvania. Find her on Facebook and Twitter at @gopinkboots.